Who’s starting, who’s hurt, and who’s on the move?
NFL news is nonstop, and we’re breaking it all down week by week this season.
Here’s the latest on what’s happening around the league entering Week 9:
Cardinals’ Jacoby Brissett will start at QB
While Kyler Murray will be active, Jacoby Brissett will be Arizona’s starting quarterback for its Monday Night Football game against the Dallas Cowboys. Murray, the team’s franchise QB, has been dealing with a foot injury. However, it’s unclear if this decision to start Brissett is because of injury or production.
The Bears (4-3) will be without their starting running back in their road game against the Bengals (3-5). Swift, who’s dealing with a groin injury, has rushed for 464 yards and four touchdowns on 4.6 yards per carry this season. He has also totaled 18 receptions for 192 yards and one touchdown.
Falcons get offensive starters back
Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (knee) and wide receiver Drake London (hip) weren’t listed on the Falcons’ Oct. 31 injury report and will be active for the team’s road tilt against the Patriots (6-2). Both players missed Week 8 due to their respective injuries. Penix boasts an 85.2 passer rating this season for Atlanta (3-4), while completing 61.0% of his passes. London has totaled 38 receptions for a team-high 469 yards and two touchdowns.
The Commanders (3-5) announced that their starting quarterback, who was dealing with a hamstring injury that kept him off the field last week, will start in the team’s Week 9 home matchup against the Seahawks. Daniels also missed two starts earlier in the season due to a knee injury. In five games played, Daniels, the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year, has totaled 1,031 passing yards, eight passing touchdowns, one interception and a 97.7 passer rating, while completing 61.0% of his passes. He has also rushed for 211 yards and one touchdown.
On the other side, Washington will be without star wideout Terry McLaurin, who recently reaggravated a quad injury. McLaurin missed four consecutive games before returning from the injury in Week 8. In four games played, McLaurin has totaled 13 receptions for 203 yards and one touchdown. The Commanders have lost four of their past five games.
Rookie two-way player Hunter landed on IR on Thursday with a knee injury. Hunter will miss at least four games for the Jags (4-3), but it’s unclear if he’ll return at all this season. Hunter suffered a non-contact injury, and it’s too early to tell if he’ll be able to suit up again in 2025, per head coach Liam Coen. Hunter, the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, has 28 catches for 298 yards and a touchdown in seven games. He also made 15 combined tackles as a cornerback.
Young, who missed Week 8 due to a high-ankle sprain, was a “full participant” at practice on Oct. 29. In eight games this season, Young has totaled 1,288 passing yards, 11 passing touchdowns, five interceptions and an 84.4 passer rating, while completing 61.6% of his passes. The Panthers (4-4) have a road bout with the Packers (5-1-1) in Week 9.
The Chiefs (5-3) are expected to be without Pacheco for their high-profile showdown against the Bills (5-2) on Sunday after their leading rusher sprained a knee ligament in Week 8. Pacheco did not practice Wednesday, which means Kareem Hunt is in line for more carries, with Brashard Smith and Elijah Mitchell backing him up. Pacheco, who has 329 yards rushing through the first eight weeks, carried 12 times for 58 yards before hurting his knee Monday. Pacheco also missed a chunk of last season when he fractured his fibula in a game against the Bengals.
“He’s moving around, but [a] tough kid,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said on Oct. 29. “There was a point where he wanted to go back in (Monday) and I wouldn’t let him. That’s how he’s wired. You have to cut his legs off to stop him.”
Broncos add long-time TE
Denver has signed 41-year-old tight end and 2010 Pro Bowler Marcedes Lewis to its practice squad, per NFL Media. He spent the first 12 seasons of his NFL career with the Jaguars (2006-17), followed by five seasons with the Packers (2018-22) and two seasons with the Bears (2023-24).
Flacco has an AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder and is considered “day-to-day,” per NFL Media. The Bengals acquired Flacco from the Browns earlier this month and are 1-2 with him as their starting QB. Flacco was acquired in the wake of star quarterback Joe Burrow suffering turf toe and backup Jake Browning struggling in Burrow’s place.
Vikings add to QB room
Minnesota (3-4) signed John Wolford to its practice squad, per NFL Media. This move comes in the wake of Carson Wentz needing season-ending shoulder surgery and J.J. McCarthy having not played since Week 2 due to a high-ankle sprain. Wolford was with the Rams from 2019-22, making a combined five starts (regular and postseason). His most recent stints were with the Buccaneers and Jags, but Wolford’s last regular-season game played was in 2022.
Chicago signed defensive back Gardner-Johnson and is elevating him to the active roster, per ESPN. Gardner-Johnson spent the 2024 season with the Eagles, reeling in six interceptions and winning Super Bowl LIX. He was traded to the Texans the following offseason but cut after three games. Shortly after signing with the Ravens, Gardner-Johnson was released again. Through three games played this season, he has totaled 15 combined tackles. By signing with the Bears, Gardner-Johnson reunites with Dennis Allen, who was the safety’s defensive coordinator with the Saints from 2019-21 and now holds the same position in Chicago.
The Patriots (6-2) announced that 27-year-old cornerback Jones has signed a contract extension. The deal is reportedly for three years and will keep Jones from entering free agency this summer when his rookie deal was set to expire. A third-round draft pick by New England in 2022, he has totaled 36 tackles, two interceptions, nine pass breakups and a sack through eight games while being on the field for 76% of the defensive snaps. The two picks have already tied his career high from his rookie season. The nine breakups are one shy of equaling his career best.
Rams expecting return of two offensive starters
The Rams could be close to welcoming back two key pieces in wide receiver Puka Nacua (ankle) and offensive lineman Rob Havenstein (knee), according to head coach Sean McVay. Nacua’s injury sidelined him for Week 7, while Havenstein last played in Week 4. McVay also announced WR Tutu Atwell will be placed on IR with a hamstring injury. Atwell’s absence for, at least, the next four games could prove critical to the offense given his role as a deep threat.
Jets still mulling QB change
Justin Fields or Tyrod Taylor?
Entering the Jets’ bye week, head coach Aaron Glenn remained noncommittal to Fields as his starter for when the team returns from its break. Even after a wild, 39-38 comeback victory — the Jets’ first of the season — in Week 8.
“I think you know what my answer’s going to be on that,” Glenn said Monday when asked if Fields would be the starter against the Browns. “This is the bye week, and we’re going to focus on us. Listen, I have time to make that decision.”
Fields, who has yet to throw an interception in seven starts, went 21-for-32 for 244 yards and a touchdown, along with 31 yards on 11 rushes. He also threw a pass and had a run for two-point conversions.
“I think he played the game exactly like we see him playing for us to win the game,” Glenn said. “There are still some things within that game that he knows he has to improve on, and that’s going to be every game. We’re going to always be critical of ourselves. … But, yeah, he did a really good job for us. I thought he managed that game really well.”
Browns RB Quinshon Judkins considered “day-to-day”
Judkins received the designation after exiting Sunday’s loss to the Patriots early with a shoulder injury. The Browns are on a bye and will face the Jets following the break.
Saints making QB change?
Spencer Rattler’s second-half benching in a brutal loss to the Bucs in Week 8 has potentially opened the door for a new starting quarterback. Head coach Kellen Moore told reporters he’s undecided on whether Rattle or rookie Tyler Shough will start against the Rams in Week 9. Shough replaced Rattler after New Orleans’ first drive of the third quarter; both signal-callers tossed an interception and were sacked a combined five times, while totaling 32 completions on 51 pass attempts for 227 yards and zero touchdowns.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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